Abi
by Poppy1
Summary: Harry gets a hard time and falls in love. If you don't like this sort of thing then go and read a proper book.
1. Summer Holidays

Abi  
  
Harrys' holiday had started to go downhill from the beginning.Not that he ever enjoyed them much to begin with, but this year was proving to be the worst ever.  
  
The first blow was Dudleys' broken leg. He had fallen from a chair after trying to reach a jar of cookies from on top of the fridge, and, much to his delight, had been advised to do as little activity as possible. As Dudley was no longer able to go out, his friends visited almost every day and often stayed for the night too. As a result, Harry had been demoted back to his little cupboard under the stairs to make room for the guests, and was being treated as Dudleys' personal skivvy.  
  
"Potter!" Dudley yelled from the living room, where he and a handfull of his friends from school were playing playstation.  
  
Harry, lying starfished out on his bed groaned and shut his eyes. He had been attempting to write an essay for Herbology, but his mind kept wondering.  
  
"POTTER!" shreiked Dudley louder.  
  
"POT-MUM! HARRY WON'T COME!"  
  
That got Harry on his feet. Petunia had kidnapped his broomstick, and had promised to set it on fire at the slightest hint of trouble.  
  
Slowly, he approached the living room, while Petunia watched him, arms folded and eyes narrowed.Dudley was sitting on the sofa, his leg propped up on a pile of cushions. Beside and around him, sat two other boys and..and a girl! In his whole life, Harry had never seen Dudley in the company of a female-especially not one like this! She was talll and slim with short, spikey hair, died brick red, and wore the kind of clothes that Petunia liked to tut at in the street. Harrys stomach gave a lurch as she turned to look at him.  
  
"Potter, go and get us something to drink!" ordered Dudley. Harry coloured. It was bad enough having to do it at all, but in frnt of this girl was torture!  
  
He faltered for a moment, trying to think of a way to save his broomstick and his dignity, but he could feel Petunias eyes boring into the back of her kneck. Reluctantly, he picked his way over the empty crisp packets and chocolate wrappers that littered the floor, but one of the boys stuck his foot out, and he tripped clumsily. They all sniggered. As he entered the sanctuary of he kitchen, he heard the girl ask:  
  
"Who is he?"  
  
He returned quickly with a tray of drinks and placed it on the coffee table, and, stumbling over the various legs that appeared to trip him up, Harry made his exit, his cheeks burning.  
  
Once in his cupboard, he flopped on to his bed and sighed. Nothing was going right for him. Even the correspondance with his friends had been stopped as there was no window in the cupboard for owls to get in and out of.The letters from his friends, much to Vernons' fury, had been found dropped on the doorstep. They had gone, unopened, into the bin.  
  
Presently, his door opened and petunia entered with a plate. Near throwing it at him, she growled:  
  
"Didn't want you spoiling Dudley and his friends' fun."And shut the door.  
  
Harry fingered the stale bread and cheese miserably, picturing the banquet tables at Hogwarts, and got out his herbology books, which he had hastilly thrown under his pillow on Petunias entrance.He was just about to open 100 Magical Plants and their Uses when somebody knocked on the door. Before he had time to hide his books, the red haired girl walked in and sat down on the bed, which was really the only thing she could have done, due to the size of the cupboard.  
  
"Er..hello.."said Harry, sheepishly.  
  
The girl looked embarrassed.  
  
"Is this...your room?"  
  
Harry flushed.  
  
"Yeah, in the holidays."  
  
There was an awkward silence.  
  
"So..."said Harry, "You're a friend of Dudleys?"  
  
Smooth Harry he thought sarcastically, reall smooth.  
  
"My brother is." she replied, and then:  
  
"He doesn't seem to like you much,Dudley I mean."  
  
Harry laughed. "The feeling's mutual."  
  
Another silence.She caught sight of one of the books under his pillow and started to leaf absently through it.  
  
"Muggle Plants and how to use them "she read."Whats a muggle?"  
  
Harry muttered something inaudable and tried to change the subject.  
  
"Whats your name?"  
  
"Im Abi. Abi Rivers."  
  
"I'm Harr-"  
  
"ABI! ABI WHERE ARE YOU?"  
  
Abi rolled her eyes.  
  
"I better go."  
  
And she left before Harry could even say goodbye.  
  
She was the first muggle he'd met that didn't appear to hate him, and he'd probably never see her again.  
  
Absent mindedly, he picked up Muggle Plants and How to Use Them. There was a pen inside marking a page, that he didn't remember marking. He opened at the place. Inside, in intidy handwriting it read:  
  
Abi  
  
215320 


	2. Dudleys' Birthday

Smile, It's your funeral!  
  
  
  
The next morning, Vernon made an announcement that made Harrys' life, and chance of getting in contact with Abi even bleaker.  
  
"I'll have to get those camp beds down from the loft." he said, spraying toast on his newspaper.  
  
"Why? Is somebody coming to stay?" asked Harry.  
  
Petunia eyed him coldly for breaking the first rule of living with the Dursleys:Don't ask questions.  
  
"Some of Vernons family are coming to stay for Dudders' birthday."  
  
Harrys' mouth went dry.  
  
"Who...exactly...?" he asked, faintly.  
  
"My brother Dermont, his wife and the kids, and Marge."said Uncle Vernon, his eyes not moving from "The Daily Times".  
  
Dudley grinned at him nastily from across the table. Dermont had two children, twin boys of about Dudleys age and body structure, and last time they had visited, Harry had ended up with more bruises than skin. And then there was Marge...last time she had visited, Harry had gotten so angry that he had accidently made her swell up to ten times her size, however, thanks to several memory charms and a large pin, the Ministry had sorted it out and only Harry could remember what had happened.  
  
That day, Petunia cleaned the house from top to toe, or rather Harry cleaned the house while Petunia pointed out the places he had missed. By evening, he was exhausted. He had scrubbed the kitchen floor untill his fingers were raw, polished all of Vernons silver golfing trophies, dusted the entire house, and even cut the grass on the front lawn.  
  
Just as he was about to collapse on the sofa, uncle Vernon marched in.  
  
"Right!" he said briskly. "I'm off to collect 'em. You know the score."  
  
Harry groaned. All of Vernons' family believed that Harry attended St Brutus' School for Incurably Criminal Boys, and he wanted it kept that way!  
  
"But-"  
  
"If you want your bloody...broom back, you'll do as you're told!"He said, spitting out the word as if it offended his mouth.  
  
Harry said nothing, and clenched his fists.  
  
With a self satisfied smile, Vernon left for the train station.  
  
* * *  
  
He was back in a little over an hour, and Dudley and Petunia were at the door to greet them. Banned from his cupboard, Harry sulked moodily behind them, trying to remain inconspicuous. No such luck. Aunt Marge released Dudley from her crippling embrace and looked disaprovingly at Harry.  
  
"I see he's still here." she growled, and then turned her back on him.  
  
Just before the door shut, Harry, barely registering it, noticed Rons'owl Pig, hovering outside. A letter! If only he could get to it before Uncle Vernon found it!  
  
Quickly, he slipped away and out of the back door. It lay on the front doorstep with "Harry" written on the front in Rons' familiar scrawl. He opened it.  
  
"Hi Harry!" it read,  
  
"I'm guessing the muggles are giving you a hard time again, and that's why you haven't replied to any of my owls. If you don't reply to this one, we'll come and pick you up the day before the end of term so-"  
  
But before he could read on, Vernon, who had come up behind him, grabbed hold of the parchment and crumpled it up.  
  
"I'm warning you." His voice was a dangerously low whisper.  
  
"I'm warning you, any funny buisness and I'll make sure you never go back to that...place again!"  
  
And with that, Harry was almost thrown inside.  
  
* * *  
  
That night, he decided that he simply had to contact Ron. With Hedwigs' cage in one hand, and a hastily written letter (which contained nothing reguarding Abi) in the other, he sneaked out of his cupboard. He did not count, however, apon Aunt Marge being asleep on the lving room sofa.  
  
Harry swore under his breath, cursing himself for his stupidity, and started to head back to his cupboard. But he never quite got there. Instead he tripped over the corner of a rug, almost knocked over Petunias favourite floral decorated vase, and made Hedwig squawk like she'd never squawked before.  
  
Harry froze. To his horror, he heard Marge sit up.  
  
"Wassat?!" she exclaimed, half asleep, and then, more in character:  
  
"Reveal yourself or feel my wrath!"  
  
Harry rushed to the kitchen, abandoning all stealth and caution, and let himself out the back door.  
  
Through the kitchen window, he saw Marge come into the room, and head for the door too. In a panic, Harry clambered on top of some bins, and pulled himself up a window ledge and then on to the roof.  
  
Marge opened the door, looking about her.  
  
"I'll get yer next time!" she shouted, and, when she was satisfied nobody was there, went back inside.  
  
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. To his surprise, he found that the roof was quite comfortable and made an excellent sanctuary! Perhaps he could use it to his advantage...  
  
He opened hedwigs' cage and tied the letter to her foot, and she flew off with a hoot of delight as she stretched her wings.  
  
* * *  
  
The next few days proved to be as awful as Harry feared.The twins, Dwaine and Damien, combined with Dudley, had made it their mission to make Harry as miserable as possible. They tripped him up everywhere he walked, played numerous pranks on him, and Dudley,encouraged by his cousins ,once again began using Harry as a punch bag, while the others held him down.  
  
And then, The Birthday.  
  
At half past seven, Petunia rapped on his door and shouted:  
  
"Come on !Get up!"  
  
Harry grimaced.This day would be even worse than the ones that had come before.  
  
He pulled on a T-Shirt and a pair of Dudleys' old shorts, that could have been trousers on him, and headed through to the kitchen.  
  
Petunia was laying the table with Shirley, Dermonts wife. Harry liked Shirley, as she seemed to be the only one who didn't reguard him as being a burden, however, as she had not yet learnt that Harry was not to be considered an equal, she often tried to include him in the things they were doing, which nearly always had awkward consequences.  
  
"Morning Harry!" she said brightly. Harry gave her a weak smile and proceeded to lay out the cutlery in silence. Shirley gave up and started to chat to Petunia instead.  
  
Harry payed no attention, untill he, quite by chance, heard the name "Rivers".  
  
Trying to keep his face neutral, he pricked up his ears.  
  
"...yes that dreadfull Rivers girl." Petunia was saying. "Dudley was adamant that he wanted her included at his birthday tea as well as her brother. I really don't want him getting mixed up with the wrong kind of people...but my Dudders can have just exactly what he likes on his birthday..."  
  
Harry suppressed a gasp.If Abi was coming to Dudleys birthday she would see how he was treated! And...and if the subject of school was brought up..then she was sure to be pursuaded that he was some kind of juvenile delinquent!  
  
"Yes well, I think it's right that the kids get to make their own choices."Shirley was saying.  
  
"Perhaps." replied Aunt Petunia, "But I thought Dudley would choose a more suitable girlfriend-"  
  
CRASH!  
  
Harry stared dumbly at the broken china around him.  
  
"Why you stupid worthless....!"A sharp cuff around the head from his aunt brought Harry back to his senses.  
  
"Go on! Get out!"  
  
* * *  
  
At one O' clock, Dudleys friends started to arrive. First came Piers Polkiss, who Harry remembered all too well from his primary school. Then came a tall lanky boy that Harry hadn't seen before and Robert Rivers, Abis brother...but no Abi.  
  
Forty seven presents and a considerable amount of chocolate biscuits later, there was still no sign of her. Petunias lips had almost disappeared, but Harry felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  
  
After another half hour, they decided that they couldn't wait any more, and sat down to eat, Harry sitting at the furthest away corner. Just as he began to think he had been worrying for nothing, the doorbell rang.  
  
Harry, his heart racing, tried to check his appearance in the glass in the window. A scrawny boy with untidy hair, glasses literally on their last legs, and a spot on his nose looked miserably back.  
  
Smile Harry he thought It's your funeral.  
  
Petunia returned quickly, Abi following close behind.  
  
"Hi!" She said,laughing, "Sorry I'm late!"  
  
Harry dared a look up, and she turned to look at him. Harrys' stomach felt like melting butter, and he hurriedly lowered his gaze and looked at his knees. His face was scarlet.  
  
Petunias face was far from scarlet however, in fact, it had turned slightly white after seeing Abi and looked quite frightening in its' attempt at smiling. The result was a nasty, twitching snarl.  
  
In Harrys opinion, she looked fabulous. Her short hair was pulled back into little sections with tiny silver star shaped clips, she was wearing a long red skirt with Doctor Martin boots and a black T-shirt, and she wore bracelets that looked like they were made of safetypins halfway up her left arm.  
  
She didn't seem to notice Petunias or Harrys reactions to her outfit, however,and dutifully turned her attentions on Dudley.  
  
"Happy Birthday Duds!" said, enthusiastically, handing him a card.Dudley gave her a simpering smile and opened it.  
  
"I made it myself." she said, but Dudley was too busy looking for the money inside the envelope. Instead, he pulled out two book tokens. His face dropped.  
  
"Thanks." he said, a little disgruntled sounding. Harry was impressed. A mistake like that would have cost anybody else both their eardrums...but of course if they were an item...he stopped. The thought made him want to kick something really hard.  
  
Without being asked, Abi had sat down in the only available chair left; between Dermont, and Damien, and opposite Dudley. Petunia looked at her coldly.  
  
"This is my husband Vernon, "she said, briskly, beginning to go around the table, "his brother Dermont, Dermonts wife Shirley, their sons, Damien and Dwaine,and his Aunt Marge."  
  
"And Harry." finished Abi. There was an awkward silence. Harry looked at his knees and began to count the bruises. He had got to nine by the time Petunia said:  
  
"Yes, and Harry."  
  
It took a while for the conversation to pick up again, but soon, everybody, with the exception of Harry, who was staring sullenly at his plate, unable to eat anything, was talking and in high spirits.  
  
It had to happen of course. It was unavoidable. Eventually, the attention turned to Harry.  
  
It began, with the topic of schools.  
  
"Dudley attends one of the top schools in Britain." Aunt Petunia told her sister in law, smugly.  
  
"Thats right!" exclaimed Marge, waving a glass of sherry. "Smeltings! Best in the country! Just like his Dad!"  
  
"Does Harry go there too?" asked Shirley, desparate to get him included somehow.  
  
Petunia shook her head rather vigorously, and thrust a plate of sausage rolls towards her.  
  
"Not him!" exclaimed Marge. Petunia looked at her warningly, and for the first time, Harry wondered if perhaps she loathed Marges' easily loosened tongue as much as he did."  
  
"Not him! Smeltings is a damn site too good for him! "  
  
"Oh." said Shirley, taken aback. But this time, she was determined that Harry should speak.  
  
" Erm...where do you go to school, Harry?"  
  
Harry froze. Firebolts don't come cheap you know. He thought, wont't work so good once it becomes charcoal. But his resolve was weakening. Think of the slytherins! It saved your life against that Horntail!You can't...  
  
" I go to Hog-"  
  
"Harry attends St Brutus' School for criminally incurable boys."Interupted Vernon. His voice showed no sign, but his eyes, boring into Harrys, were eloquence enough. He had better watch out or his Firebolt would be firewood.  
  
The whole family and the guests were looking now. Abis' face showed shock and confusion. Dudley was enjoying every minute.  
  
"And St Brutus' is too good for him an' all!" said Marge, spilling sherry on the table.  
  
Harry was looking at his knees again.  
  
Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen...  
  
"Just like his father."  
  
Twenty three, twenty four...  
  
" A low life good for nothing scoundrel he was! It was a shame young Lilly got mixed up with him...although some might say-no offence to you, Petunia- that she was just as bad!"  
  
Twenty seven, twenty eight...  
  
" That James Potter though-nothing but a filthy,stupid, coward!"  
  
SMASH!  
  
Almost instantaniously, a trifle, that was sitting on top of the fridge above Marges head in an enormous glass bowl fell to the ground, and shattered into a million pieces. There was cream and fruit everywhere, iced with shards of glass.  
  
Before anybody could do anything, Vernon had Harry by the scruff of the neck and was dragging him through to his cupboard. When they got into the hall, he raised him off the floor and hit him hard on the side of the face, then he flung him into his cupboard and shut the door.  
  
Harry felt the side of his face, in shock. Vernon may have always been nasty, but he had never been so violent before. He would have a black eye the next day.  
  
He heard him rejoin the group in kitchen.  
  
"Could sense he had one of his fits coming on." He heard him say.  
  
"Not right in the head....thought it best to put him to his cupbo...erm...room."  
  
He cringed. Abi would never go near him now.  
  
He had never felt so alone in his life.  
  
* * *  
  
When he heard the conversation start up again, he picked the lock of his cupboard and quietly let himself out. He needed to get outside, to think.  
  
Once outside, he began to think rationally again. He took deep gulps of air and almost began to feel a little better. He'd be back at Hogwarts soon, just another month or so...  
  
"Hi Harry."  
  
Abi was leaning against the gate..  
  
"Are you allright?" She was being patronising, he knew it. She felt sorry for him.  
  
"I'm fine." he tried to walk past her, but she followed him. He felt his anger welling up.  
  
"What did-"  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"Just go! I'm an incurable criminal remember...just leave me to be like my good-for-nothing father and...and...attack old ladies!"  
  
To his annoyance, Abi giggled.  
  
"Just go!" he said, and stalked past her. He was glad, however, when she caught him up, because he had no idea where he could have gone.  
  
"Sorry." she said. "And...it wasn't right what they said about your mum and dad."  
  
Harry nodded greatfully.  
  
"Your parents...where are they?"  
  
"They're dead"  
  
"Oh...I'm sorry. I just can't say the right thing, can I?"  
  
Harry smiled.  
  
"It's ok."  
  
They were close now.  
  
"I...I better go. They think I'm at the bathroom." she said,laughing and stepping backwards.  
  
Harry nodded again.  
  
"Me too. I'm about to take 'one of my fits' "  
  
She smiled and turned to go, and then she turned around.  
  
"Can I see you again?"  
  
Harry grinned.  
  
"Meet you here at midnight."  
  
Abi grinned too, showiing that she was up for it.  
  
"Allright." she said, "See you then."  
  
Once she was out of sight, he started to dance around the garden,waving his arms, only to find Shirley, looking at him through the window with an almost comical expression of sadness and sympathy on her face. 


	3. Sneaking Out

_Sorry about the time this chapter took...I promise I'll be a little quicker with the next one!_

Chapter III-Sneaking Out

Midnight.

 Apart from the occasional rustle of the trees, Privet Drive was silent. The night was cold, defying the warm summer weather of the daytime, and the figure that stood outside number 4 Privet Drive deeply regretted his failure to take some kind of warm clothing with him.

He was dressed in a baggy white T-shirt, the smallest of all he owned, and an equally baggy pair of jeans which were torn and frayed at the bottom where they

had been trodden on. His hair, slightly long and messy as usual, showed almost no sign of the half hour he had spent laboriously trying to make it presentable.

He had been half leaning against the dainty little wall that delicately laced the perimeter of the Dursleys' garden for at least fifteen minutes, shifting nervously from foot to foot and muttering under his breath to the extent that Mrs Innes from across the road, who had been gleefully spying on him through a chink in her bedroom curtains, considered calling on her husband to go out and see what the matter was.

Suddenly, as if from no-where, a great white bird appeared and landed on the boys' shoulder.

This was too much for Mrs Innes. She shouted out in surprise:

"Ooh Albert! Come and have a look at this!"

Albert Innes, who was reading a newspaper in his bed and humming quietly to himself looked up, a little disgruntled.

"What is it _now Edna?" he asked, wearily._

"It's them Dursleys." she said, a smug smile hovering on her lips, 

"Or rather that _Harry wot used to live with them." _

"Oh _'E's back, is he? I wondered why you'd taken to standin' at that window half the night again!"_

Edna reddened and looked annoyed.

"There's something not right about that Harry_. You know that as well as I do!"_

Mr Innes said nothing, and turned the page of his newspaper.

"He's been standin' outside half clothed for near half an hour now! I've a good mind to march round to the Dursleys themselves and ask them what the bleedin' hell he thinks he's doing!"

Mr Innes turned another page.

"He's desturbin' the peace, standin' about at this hour of the night-I've a-"

"Christ woman! Would you give it a rest!?"

Mrs Innes sniffed and patted at her curlers. _She knew there was something strange with the Dursleys, even if her husband did not._

                                                *         *         *

As Hedwig landed on his shoulder, Harry Potter shivered; goose bumps appearing on his arms. 

Eagerly, he opened up the letter attached to her leg. Earlier in the day, he had sent one himself, to his godfather.

 It was with a sigh of relief he recognised Sirius' untidy handwriting-he was alive at least.

He fingered the letter, considering whether to read it or not, and then resolutely stuffed it into his pocket-if Abi were to show up while he was reading it, it could cause awkward questions, and that was the last thing he needed!

But by twenty past twelve, Harry was beginning to wonder if she was going to show up at all. The thought had been with him since he had gotten outside, but he had hastily pushed it to the back of his mind. 

Now however, it looked like he was going to have to face the facts. 

_Five more minutes, he thought to himself glumly, __and then I'll forget it._

He stood for a few moments, idly looking at the neat row of identical houses in front of him, and then, he heard something. A voice. For a second he thought he heard two voices...but then he saw her approaching, her arms wrapped around her for warmth. He quickly pushed Hedwig from his shoulder, and she flew off looking almost indignant.

"Though you'd lost your nerve." he said, with a grin.

She didn't return the smile.

"Harry I-"

But she was cut off.

 Cut off by a voice that was all too familiar.

"Potter!" It was a voice that was that made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's' neck.

Dudley.

Harry froze, his natural reaction whenever his cousin approached him. He looked in horror, unable to speak, at Abi, but she was chewing her lip and looking at the ground.

So she had turned up-but in a way worse than he ever imagined.

"Potter thinks he's got himself a girlfriend!"

Dwaine and Damien and Robert, who were standing at his side, sniggered_._

Harry closed his eyes. How could he have been so stupid?! Why did he ever think that somebody like Abi would want to have anything to do with him?

He had fallen straight into a trap.

It was as if he was ten years old again, standing in the school playground with everybody nearby laughing at him.

"Get lost Dudley." he said weakly, knowing that it was futile.

He never admitted it, even to himself, but Dudley was the person he feared most in the world. Nobody else could make him feel so small and pathetic- he knew his weakest points better than any and had had countless opportunities to use them against him.

"Did you really think she would go out with you?" Dudley smirked gleefully, revelling in Harry's humiliation.            

Harry didn't answer. He looked again at Abi and caught her eye. She wasn't grinning like the rest, she looked...pitying.

 In a way, that made Harry feel worse. 

He stepped forward, and tried to pass his cousin, knowing from experience that the longer he stayed, the more likely it was that he would end up with a black eye and more selotape on his glasses.

Dwaine and Damien stepped forward and blocked his path, then, noticing some parchment protruding from Harry's pocket, Dwaine snatched it up.

"Look! He's got a letter!"

Blind panic filled Harry. He made a mad grab at the letter, but Robert and Damien were behind him, holding him back and stopping him from struggling.

_"Hey Harry!" _He began to read.

"Safe and in the country, meet me at-" 

With one last, desperate effort, Harry threw himself furiously at Dwaine, wrenched the letter out of his hands and ran as fast as he possibly could. 

But it wasn't quite fast enough, and soon, the three boys had caught up with him.

He looked back at Abi. She was shouting but he couldn't hear what she was saying-it was as if everything was a dream. 

He tightened his fists around the parchment and simultaneously, the three boys fell on him. He made no effort to fight back. 

                                                          *      *      *

Harry lay still for a few moments after they left him, and then, slowly and painfully he sat up and felt around for his glasses. Finding one of the legs snapped off, he sighed and put both bits into his pocket. 

To his great relief and surprise he saw that the letter was still in his hand.

"Are...are you alright?"

Harry looked up in disbelief. 

Abi was still there, sitting on the kerb!

Anger and embarrassment surged up inside him. He tried to speak, but found, to his further humiliation, that tears welled up in his eyes. He turned his head from her and dashed them away.

"Harry I really am sorry...I tried to..."she trailed off.

_Why couldn't she just leave him alone? _

"Are you...hurt?"

Harry flared up.

"No I'm just great thanks!" he said sardonically.

"Harry I really am sorry-"

He ignored her and tried to drag himself into a standing position, but a wave of nausea swept over him and he dropped back down again.

"You're bleeding!"

He put his hand to his nose and found that she was right.

"Let me get your aunt and uncle, they'll-"

"You've done enough already! Just…just leave me alone!" His voice was quivering with anger.

He stood up, shakily and walked slowly towards the Dursleys' neat front garden, leaving Abi alone and shivering in the cold.

                                                *       *       *

When he got to the back door, he found, not to his surprise, that it was locked-Dudley and his cousins had seen to that.

Without much emotion, he sank down on the step and closed his eyes.

Hogwarts had never seemed so far away.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV-  
  
The moment Abi opened her eyes, the lousy feeling that had been plaguing her since the previous afternoon hit her.  
  
It was not quite dawn, and the sky was a cold, hard grey.  
  
She sat up slowly and found to her surprise that she was still fully dressed.  
  
The whole house was still and she could hear her brother snoring in the room next door. He was evidently not being tortured by the guilt that had gotten Abi up so early in the morning  
  
As quietly as she could, she stood up, made her way downstairs and slipped out the back door.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry groaned and opened his eyes. Hedwig had landed on his shoulder and was rubbing her beak affectionately against his ear. She had obviously forgiven him for snubbing her the night before.  
  
He sat up and moved himself over painfully. What had begun as a subconscious feeling of discomfort was turning into an all over body ache. His joints were stiff, his limbs felt like lead, and he was shivering with the cold and damp.  
  
As he shifted around awkwardly on the step, he realised that he was clutching something tightly in his hand-Sirius's letter!  
  
Forgetting his pain for a moment, he uncrumpled the parchment eagerly-only to find that, without his glasses, he could read nothing.  
  
Pulling one of the pieces out of his pocket, squinting in the dull grey light, he read:  
  
'Hey Harry! Safe and in the country! Meet me at Harriet Park at noon.  
  
* * *  
  
Abi wandered around the streets for some time, lost in thought.  
  
Everything about Harry confused her. There was something about him that she just couldn't place.  
  
All she had managed to prise from Dudley was that he was his "loser cousin" who had been dumped on them after his parents died in a car accident. He had been very reluctant to talk about the matter, almost as if he were afraid to.  
  
Dudley's' friends had been almost as little help, saying only that he had been terribly bullied at their primary school and had never made it to secondary. Piers had mentioned something about him being mad and letting snakes out if cages.  
  
Their first meeting had confirmed her expectations of him-introverted, awkward and painfully shy, but the events at and after Dudley's disastrous birthday tea showed that it wasn't quite so clearly cut. He had a secret. That, at least, she could guess.  
  
But it didn't seem likely she would ever find out what that secret was. He would never go near her again and she didn't blame him. The guilt and shame made her stomach writhe.  
  
Her wanderings always took her to the same place. A shabby bench in the corner of a small play park that the desperate council had placed there to try and add a little variation to the monotonous grey houses that dominated the landscape.  
  
The sun had not yet risen and the park was deserted, but as she turned to sit down, she found that somebody had already taken her spot. An old tramp lay flat out on the bench in a very deep but troubled looking sleep. He was dressed in black rags. His hair was long, greasy and matted, and his face and hands were filthy.  
  
She crouched down on her knees beside him. He was definitely not sleeping easily. He writhed around, sweating and occasionally calling out strange words that made no sense to her.  
  
As she looked closer, she found that he was not old at all, perhaps in his mid thirties, but his face, that was often twisted into terrifying expressions of anguish and pain, was sad and showed lines of worry.  
  
She sat with him for some time, wondering whether she should let him sleep on or end his nightmare. Eventually, she decided to try and wake him-it upset her seeing him in so much distress.  
  
It did not take much. She shook him gently on the shoulder and his eyes opened immediately. He looked around, disorientated for a second or so, and then, as he took in Abi, he sat up quickly as if he had been given a fright.  
  
"Sorry for waking you." She said, a little embarrassed. "It's just you looked so."  
  
The man's features relaxed and he smiled weakly.  
  
His eyes were sad, she noticed, almost.haunted looking.  
  
"What.what time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and pushing his long hair back from them.  
  
Abi looked at her watch.  
  
"Half past five."  
  
The man raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Well it's a good thing you did wake me."  
  
Abi was confused, but decided it wasn't a good idea to ask questions.  
  
"Do you mind if I sit down?" she asked.  
  
"Sure." The tramp moved up to give her space. It was unlike him to trust anybody so easily-he had learned from experience that anybody, even those he loved dearest could betray, but something about the girl appealed to him and he said, almost good naturedly:  
  
"What are you doing up so early in the morning?"  
  
Abi's smile faded as she remembered the events of the previous night.  
  
"I couldn't sleep."  
  
"A guilty conscience." He grinned, " Either that or you're in love."  
  
In love. The words swam around her head.  
  
"A little of both I suppose." She sighed. Why not tell him? She would never see him again.  
  
The tramp looked at her expectantly, his head cocked slightly to one side.  
  
"I.I let something happen to somebody, and I should of stopped it.and now they think.now they'll never know that."  
  
The man nodded.  
  
The two were silent for some time, and then the man spoke, looking a little embarrassed:  
  
"You know, it's never a good idea to let things go unsaid. You.you might regret not saying them when it's too late."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"WHAT THE BLOODY 'ELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING OUT HERE??"  
  
Harry reluctantly opened his eyes.  
  
No sooner had he done so, was he dragged roughly to his feet by an exceptionally purple faced Vernon. The world swam before him and he couldn't think clearly.  
  
"WELL?"  
  
Harry, who stood upright only because Vernon was holding him by the scruff of his neck, tried to gather his thoughts together. He looked about him, dazed, and looked around the Dursleys' neat back garden.  
  
"I.got locked out," Harry said faintly.  
  
"You-" but as he swung his nephew round and looked at his face, he stopped.  
  
"My god, what happened to you?"  
  
Harry looked at him, confused, and then put his hand to his face. He winced as he felt his eye and found dried blood around his nose.  
  
Of course-the handiwork of Dudley and his gang.  
  
Harry shrugged and tried to appear indifferent.  
  
"I fell."  
  
Vernon let go of him. He wobbled uncertainly and had to reach out and cling to the door for support.  
  
" Well.just.just get inside an' clean yourself up!" His uncle commanded, clearly as bewildered as Harry was.  
  
Harry nodded slowly and headed for the bathroom. 


	5. Chapter V

Sirius Black was in a foul mood by the time Harry arrived, forty minutes later than planned.  
  
His long dirty hair and tattered robes against the neatly trimmed grass and tidy, pink and white flower beds of the little park made him stand out even more so than usual, and in full view of everybody walking past he felt hot and uncomfortable.  
  
Even in his dog form he had twice been shooed away by a nervous looking park keeper and now, as Harry approached, he growled-even more visciously than he might have done, when he saw that his godson brough no food for him- and began to walk, haughtily glancing behind him to tell Harry to follow.  
  
They walked for some time, both trying to look as inconspicuous as possible and failing miserably, and finally, they stopped behind a tiny, delapidated old building covered almost completely in graphiti that had perhaps once been a public toilet.  
  
Against the wall, next to two overfilling dustbins, was a tartan blanket and small collection of bones(the previous owners of which, Harry preffered not to guess). He reallised, with a slight feeling of disgust that this was where Sirius had been living.  
  
Once he was sure nobody was around, Sirius changed back into human form and stood glaring at Harry.  
  
"Jeeze Harry! Where have you been?!"  
  
Harry sighed. After being found on the doorstep by his uncle, he had gone straight to his cupboard and fallen asleep, forgetting all about his godfather. On remebering, he had run straight out of the house without explaination, which would undoubtedly get him into even more trouble when he returned. He looked up.  
  
"I'm sorry I-"  
  
But he was interupted by Sirius who caught sight of his bruised and swolen face.  
  
"My god! What happened to you?"  
  
Harry reddened and fidgeted awkwardly, trying to conceal the cuts and bruises on his arms.  
  
The memory of previous evening was still painfully clear in his memory, and made him wriggle with embarrassment.  
  
The truth was, he felt...ashamed of himself. Ashamed of his stupidity and of his weakness. He had heard the stories of the Maurauders. Sirius would never have given up to Dudley so easily, or let himself get into such an embarrasing situation in the first place. There was no way he would let his uncle know how pathetic he was.  
  
"I fell." he said, knowing that this would not fool Sirius any more than it had fooled his uncle.  
  
Sirius narrowed his eyes and surveyed his godson suspiciously.  
  
"I've been in enough fights to know that that was no fall, Harry. What do you take me for?"  
  
"Look, I just fell, ok?"  
  
Sirius raised his eyebrows disbelievingly.  
  
"Alright then." he said with a sigh.  
  
It hurt him that his godson was lying to him, but decided it would not be tactfull to try and squeeze out any more information.  
  
Things didn't get any better that afternoon. Both of them, for their own reasons were unusually reserved and thoughtful, and they were both of them thankful to part, and be left to their own thoughts.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
There was a funny little saying Vernon used to use when he was particularly annoyed about something. Like when he had just washed the car and the rain came on, or when Aunt Marge would unexpectedly come to stay the night he had an important buisness partner over for dinner.  
  
Sods' law.  
  
"It's just Sods law, isn't it!" he would mutter to himself.  
  
Perhaps Vernon knew who this "Sod" was, but Harry certainly didn't.  
  
Despite this, Harry had always been a firm believer in the law of the sod. He knew from experience that however bad things got for him, they could always get worse.  
  
And that is why he was not surprised to meet Abi at Mrs Figgs house on the morning of his birthday...  
  
* * *  
  
His birthday was not even a week after Dudleys, but his Aunt and Uncle always managed to forget it.  
  
Even Harry himself forgot until he heard Vernons angry yells as he met four owls on the doorstep bearing large boxes for Harry.  
  
These of course, much to Harrys dismay, went staright into the bin, along with a handfull of letters and cards.  
  
He sat, sullenly nibbling on his toast and glaring at his unlcle, who avoided his eyes. He hadn't been able to look Harry in the face since he found him on the doorstep.  
  
He had guessed what happened. And although Vernon was nasty and stupid in many ways, he was not a violent man. He just could not accept what his son had done, but instead of blaming Dudley for the incident, he grew even more hostile towards Harry, blaming him for the new way he now viewed his son.  
  
"Did Mrs Figg say she'd take him?" Vernon asked his wife over the top of his newspaper as usual.  
  
"Yes, she said to send him round at about 11 O' clock."  
  
Harry sighed, guessing correctly that they were talking about him.  
  
"Where are you going? I can look after myself, you know."  
  
Petunia frowned at him.  
  
"We're not leaving you here on your own! Don't know what you'll get up to!"  
  
Shirley, who still had not quite given up her fight to get Harry included, but now saw him as mentally unstable and spoke to him as if he was five years old decided to try and reason with him.  
  
"Aunty and Uncle Vernon have to go into town with cousin Dudley to get him clothes for school, Harry." she said slowly, and in such a patronising way, that Harry wanted to slap her, despite her good intentions.  
  
"And Uncle Dermont is taking Auntly Shirley and Dwaine and Damien and Aunty Marge to the zoo for the day. We would love to take you too Harry, but their isn't enough room in the car." She contiued, cocking her head to one side apoligetically as if Harry was about to burst into tears.  
  
"But I'm fifteen yeers old! I can stay in the house on my own!"Harry persisted, emphasizing the fifteen, wondering if anybody would notice.  
  
Nobody answered.  
  
With a sigh, Harry gave up. Maybe before, he would have tried to fight it out, or bring up his insane murderer godfather, but these days, it just seemed like too much of an effort.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Abi met the strange man in the park every morning for almost a week.  
  
Although they didn't speak so deeply again, both felt they had some kind of bond, and were happy just to sit in each others company.  
  
She often wondered about the man, who seemed so sad, and yet was always laughing and joking with her. However,only once had she asked him about himself.  
  
They had been talking about family, when she plucked up the courage to ask him about his.  
  
"Does your family know where you are?" she asked, blushing a little and hoping he would not take offence.  
  
To her relief, he did not appear to be angered by her curiosity.  
  
"Not at the moment, no. My mother is dead and I haven't seen my father for years."  
  
"So nobody knows where you are?"  
  
He smiled, a litlle sadly.  
  
"A few do. You could say they are my adopted family, in a sense."  
  
"Oh..." Abi was desperate to know more, but the man was obviously reluctant to pursue the subject.  
  
Instead, she asked him something else that had been bothering her.  
  
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you have a name?"  
  
The man cocked his head to one side thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking, then he grinned broadly.  
  
"Call me Snuffles." he said, with a twinkle in his eye.  
  
On the sixth day she went to find him, he had gone.  
  
* * *  
  
Abi had met Mrs Figg for the first time, two years back, struggling home with her shopping. After helping the old woman into her house, she had stayed and chatted with her for quite some time.  
  
After that first meeting, she visited her frequently, either to chat, or to help her around the house, and over time, she had become very fond of the crochety old woman.  
  
After finding 'Snuffles' gone, Abi needed somewhere to go that would take her mind off things, and guliltily remebering that she had not visited the old woman for over a week, decided to pay her a visit.  
  
* * * Harry had only been at Mrs Figgs for five minutes when the doorbell rang.  
  
"Harry, would you get that for me, there's a good boy."  
  
Harry dropped the heavy leather album that held a never ending stash of cat photographs on to the sofa, wincing as a huge cloud of yellow dust flew up around it.  
  
"Are you expecting anybody?" he asked as he made his way through to the front lobby.  
  
It took him a while to undo all the locks and bolts and chains Mrs Figg had on her door, but finally, he opened it and found himself face to face with the girl he had been tryng so hard to forget.  
  
To his great annoyance, he felt himself go red and his stomach began to flutter.  
  
Abi seemed just as taken aback.  
  
For the first time, she was lost for words.  
  
Eventually she managed to stutter.  
  
"Harry...what are you...?"  
  
"Mrs Figg is looking after me because I'm incapable of doing so myself."he said coldly, disguising the chaos he felt inside him, and moved aside to let her in.  
  
Abi didn't move.  
  
"I want to apoligise for what happened. I should have-"  
  
"Mrs Figg will be getting cold." He muttered, and Abi entered, blushing a little.  
  
"Abi!" Mrs Figg exclaimed, smiling warmly.  
  
"Thought you'd forgotten about me!"  
  
Abi forced her lips into a smile.  
  
"Of course not. Here I brought you some things from the corner shop."  
  
"Oh she's a treasure, isn't she Harry?"  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"Why don't you two go and unpack everything through in the kitchen, then we can all have a nice cup of tea."  
  
None of them spoke as they unpacked.  
  
As well as putting the new food into the cupboards, Abi emptied them of everything that had gone out of date, including an old chocolate cake with a layer of mould along the top and a tub of green butter.  
  
She then washed out the dusty tea cups and put the kettle on. Finally she plucked up the courage to speak to him.  
  
"Harry, I'm not going to offer any excuses for what happend, but I want you to know I truly am sorry."  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows and continued unpacking, not looking at her.  
  
Instead, he looked out of the window into Mrs Figgs untidy back garden. One of her cats was playing with... with what looked like a tiny grey owl-  
  
"Pig!"  
  
Without explaination, Harry hurried outside, leaving Abi standing with a bewildered expression on her face.  
  
She watched, bemused as he chased the cat away, shouting and waving his arms at it, then he bent to pick up the little bird, who was holding on to something in its beak.  
  
Once he was inside again, ignoring Abi, he poured some water into a saucer and set the owl down on the table, urging it to drink. To his relief, it seemed unharmed.  
  
"You dropped this." Abi said, holding out a small, crumpled birthday card in her hand.  
  
Harry took it from her without a word.  
  
"When's your birthday?"  
  
"Today."He mumbled, without turning around.  
  
The card was from Ginny, and had fifteen kisses at the bottom.  
  
There was a letter on Pigs leg, and Harry opened it, excitedly.  
  
'Hi it's me again. Ginny got all upset when we told her we'd already sent your birthday stuff, so we sent Pig on a mission. Chances are, you wont get either of our owls, as you don't seem to be getting many of my letters. Anyway, seeing as the muggles have been giving you such a hard time, mum said you could come and stay with us early. We are meeting Hermione in diagon alley in two weeks time, so if you meet us there, you can just come back with us. If you want to come, write back straight away and dad will set up a portkey for you. Hopefully see you soon Ron PS Happy brithday if you didn't get the first owl!'  
  
  
  
For the first time in a very long while, Harry smiled.  
  
"Do you have a pen?" he asked Abi, sounding almost civil.  
  
She handed him one and he quickly scribbled on the back of the parchment.  
  
'That would be great thanks! See you then, Harry'  
  
Then, he tied it to Pigs leg and let him out the window.  
  
"Thanks." he said, awkwardly, and handed Abi her pen.  
  
"So it's your birthday today?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you doing anything nice?" She reddened, feeling foolish.  
  
"Yes my aunt and uncle are throwing me a huge party and inviting all my adoring friends relatives."  
  
"Oh...well happy birthday." she said, knowing that he was being sarcastic.  
  
"Thankyou." he answered, his irritation growing by the second.  
  
There was an awkward silence.  
  
Abi felt utterly miserable. Even having him yell at her was better than this icy politeness.  
  
"Harry, if there's anything I can do to make it up to you..."  
  
"Yeah there is." said Harry, flaring up, more angry at himself for so desparately wanting to forgive her.  
  
"You can leave me alone!"he said, and stalked out of the kitchen. 


	6. VI

Chapter 6  
  
Harry took a deep breath and pushed open the sitting room door.  
  
His uncle was lying flat out on the sofa watching a rugby game on the televisioon and looked less than pleased to see him.  
  
"What do you want?" he snarled, not bothering to move his eyes to look at him.  
  
Harry took a deep breath.  
  
"My friend from Hog-my friend Ron has asked me to go and stay with him next week, untill I go back to...untill term starts again."  
  
Silence.  
  
He waited for the usual tortured look to appear on Vernons face. The face that showed the battle between making Harry happy, which was a thing he normally tried his hardest not to do; and getting rid of his least favourite nephew, which was something he very often wished he could do.  
  
But instead, a smug grin spread across his uncles' face.  
  
"We've already made arrangements for you."  
  
Harrys heart sank.  
  
"What...arrangements?"he asked weakly.  
  
"Dermont says he'll have you an' Dudley to stay while we're in Paris."  
  
"Paris?"  
  
"You hard of hearing, boy?"  
  
Harry shook his head, his fists clenched.  
  
"Well, can't I go to Rons instead? I need to go and buy my school stuff."  
  
Vernon sat up.  
  
"We've already made the plans-it would be rude to change them now!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"But nothing! Now bugger off! I want to see the rest of the game in peace!"  
  
Harry grimaced. He was beaten and he knew it.  
  
Not only was Vernon getting rid of him, he was also making sure that Harry would be as miserable as possible.  
  
The best of both worlds.  
  
* * *  
  
Once in his cupboard, he threw himself on the bed and lay flat out, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
Why was everything going so badly for him?  
  
Staying with Dermont meant that there was no way he could get to the portkey and if he left now, there would be nowhere for him to go for two weeks.  
  
And then there was Abi.  
  
What was it about her that made him feel so wretched?  
  
He was used to being taunted and bullied-his cousin had made sure of that. Over the first ten years of his life he had learned to block out name calling and the humiliating pranks. The opinions of those who hated him meant nothing because he hated them right back.  
  
But Abi was different.  
  
She stopped him from thinking clearly. She could make his stomach flutter just by looking at him.  
  
She had gotten through the protective barrier that separated him from his enemies and he could not block her out.  
  
He wanted to hate her.He tried with all his strength of mind to do so, but he simply couldn't. 


	7. VII

Had kinda given up on this fic. I felt that all i really did was make nasty things happen to Harry, which i, personally, enjoyed, but every else probably didnt! The reason im continuing, is beacause of the threats iv had from Ahyanah- i beacame "inspired" to continue agen.so if i bore you to death you can blame her (im assuming ur a girl, ahyanah-really sorry if u aint!!!), not me!!  
The Journey had been easier than he'd anticipated. Sent to Mrs Figgs on his own, while the Dursleys went to see off their relatives at the train station (Harry and Dudley were to join them at their home the following week), it had been relatively simple for him to turn down the little lane on the way to the old ladies' house the moment the car was out of site, and retrieve his belongings in one piece-if a little soggy-from underneath a bush.  
  
The Portkey was admittedly a little more difficult to find. "An empty beer bottle in the park" had been Rons' detailed description of it. Unfortunately, due to the rowdy doings of a group of teenagers(Dudley himself probably included) in the park the previous night, there was before Harry a myriad of bottles to choose from. In fear of missing his "flight" as Mr Weasley like to put it enjoying being able to use "such a quaint little muggle phrase", Harry had had to resort to cradling a pile of them on his lap, making sure that his hand touched a small part of every one, and then trying to look inconspicuous.  
  
However, despite this minor mishap, he had found himself, some time later, standing in Diagon Alley, feeling only a little shaken.  
  
He was a little disappointed to see that his friends were not there to greet him, but then again they had a lot to buy, and he would quiet easily catch up with them.  
  
First though, he thought to himself, Gringots.  
  
* * *  
  
Abi rubbed her eyes and stared , mouth open at the space that, until seconds ago, had contained Harry Potter.  
  
She hadn't been following him, oh no. In fact, after their last exchange, she had been avoiding him like the plague.  
  
She had been walking in the park, just like she always did on Sunday mornings-of course on seeing him, sitting on a swing cradling a lap full of empty beer bottles, who wouldn't have stopped and stared.  
  
She had been just about to approach him when it happened. Really she was!- her lips were already forming his name. But before she could say anything, he had vanished-into thin air. Well not quite into thin air, she thought to herself, for she could have sworn she saw a flash of light, and then the silluette of Harry slowly fade away.  
  
Who cared anyway, how he had disappeared. He was gone, and she was going to find out how. That was all that mattered.  
  
* * *  
  
Arthur Weasly was a little surprised to see Harry in front of him when he did. As far as he knew, the Portkey wasn't due to leave for another half hour.  
  
He rolled his eyes and tutted to himself impatiently. It was Hodgkinson, his new assistant, he knew it. Fresh out of Hogwarts this one was, with as much common sense as a baboon on laughing gas, he had told his rather amused wife, who could still remember her husband on his first day at the office, a bemused eighteen year old who couldn't tie his own tie.  
  
He would have to go into work now, and check that the blasted idiot had only set the portkey to work the once, and on his day off as well!  
  
That, however, he pushed to the back of his mind, and greeted Harry with genuine pleasure.  
  
"Hey Harry-had a good holiday so far?"  
  
Harry raised his eybrow a little, but he grinned.  
  
"It's been alright." he said.  
  
He had a bruise on his eye, Arthur noticed, and an image of Dudley immediately floated into his head. He decided, however, to say nothing. Wait for Molly to see him-she was better at these sort of things than he was.  
  
Instead, he picked up some of Harrys' luggage and chuckled.  
  
"Well its good to have you back." he said.  
  
* * *  
  
Abi stood up, feeling a little nautious. As her vision became clear again, she saw that she was in the middle of a busy street, with two figures standing before her.  
  
How had she got there?  
  
One minute, she had been fingering a piece of broken bottle that had been dropped by the mysteriously absent Harry, the next, she was standing here, in this strange place, in front of these strange people dressed...well strangely!  
  
So this was Harrys' secret! What it was, exactly, she had no idea, but she would figure it out, that she was certain of!  
  
She eyed the two figures suspiciously, and the pair did just that in return. They looked as confused and bewildered as she felt!  
  
There was a girl there, and a red headed boy. Both were wearing a long kind of coat which reached their ankles, the girl, a beautiful deep crimson one and her friend, a rather shabby looking one that had perhaps once been green.  
  
"She must be a muggle, Ron!" the girl was whispering to him.  
  
Muggle. Harry had used that word before-no she'd seen it somewhere...oh yes! In that book about plants! The one belonging to Harry. So what was the girl implying here?  
  
"Excuse me but erm...who are you?" she asked sheepishly.  
  
The pair looked indignant.  
  
"We were about to ask you the same question." snapped the girl in a tone that rather irritated Abi.  
  
The other, Abi noticed, was scowling at her in a very unfriendly way.  
  
"What have you done with Harry!?" he demanded, and advanced towards her menacingly.  
  
The girl pulled him back.  
  
"Stop it Ron! She's obviously a muggle. What could she possibly have done?"  
  
This irritated Abi further, and prompted her to snarl:  
  
"Look, could either of you tell me where I am, or will I go and ask somebody else?!"  
  
That startled the pair, who both put hands on her to stop her.  
  
"No! Wait!"  
  
"You're in Dia-"  
  
"You're in London." "Ron" cut his friend off, glaring at her angrily.  
  
"Theres obviously some problem with the portkey, so Dad's in enough trouble as it is! Just shut up will you!"  
  
The girl rolled her eyes.  
  
"But Ron-surely they're going to use a memory charm anyway-"  
  
"We'll take her to Dad." the boy continued, deliberately ignoring her, "He can sort it out."  
  
"But that's stupid! What happens if Harry turns up? You wait here for him and I'll take her to your Dad."  
  
The boy looked like he was about to protest, but the girl already had Abi by the arm and was dragging her across the cobbled street.  
  
They said nothing for some time. Abi, was engrossed in the sights, sounds and smells of the strange place. Finally, she spoke:  
  
"I don't have a clue where we are-but I'm pretty sure this isn't London."  
  
The girl seemed uncomfortable, and unsure of what to say, so Abi tried again.  
  
"I'm Abi." she said, and smiled.  
  
She was surprised to see that the girl smiled back, revealing a perfect set of white teeth.  
  
"Hermione." she replied.  
  
Abi took a deep breath.  
  
"So...Hermione...do you think you'd be able to explain to me exactly what is going on?"  
  
* * *  
  
Harry finished the last dregs of the butterbeer in his cup, and sat back with a contented sigh. This was the happiest he had felt in a long time. All the worst was behind him now-for another year at least. He was back with people who he could talk to-people who wanted him to be there!He hadn't noticed how starved he'd been of real conversation untill he had sat down with Mr Weasley. Weeks and weeks of saying next to nothing, of having nobody who could talk about the things he wanted to talk about. Little, trivial things, like the latest Quiddich scores, Howgwarts. Being able to speak freely about these things with somebody who understood them seemed like heaven! He even began to wonder how he could possibly have been so low at the Dursleys. None of what had happened to him over the past few weeks seemed of much importance now.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
Before he could turn around, he felt two arms close around his neck and his nose was tickled by a mass of frizzy brown hair.  
  
"Hello Herm!" he exclaimed happily, reallising immediately that it wasn't merely conversation he'd been missing.  
  
"Take a seat, Hermione." said Arthur, warmly, and then, noticing the figure standing rather bashfully behind her:  
  
"Who's your friend-and...where's Ron?"  
  
Instantly, Hermiones' face became sober.  
  
"There must have been a hitch with the portkey, Mr Weasley-we were waiting for Harry and-"  
  
Arthur gave a large, exasperated sigh and ran his hand through his thinning hair.  
  
"That damned Hodgkinson-when i get a hold of him I'll...."  
  
But Harry was no longer listening, because he had just caught sight of Hermiones' companion.  
  
"Abi!" he exclaimed hoarsly, his heart sinking.  
  
She looked at him, almost apoligetically, and gave him a rueful grin. Harry felt his heart melt all over again, and cursed himself for doing so. She looked to him strange, and out of place. As if she had been cut out of Privet Drive and superimposed on to Diagon Alley, but had nothing actually to do with the scene at all. In a way, he thought, she had been.  
  
He opened his mouth to speak again, but could think of nothing to say.  
  
"I think I'd better find Molly." Mr Weasley stood up. "Hermione, would you get Ron, and then we will meet back here. Harry-I think you'd better stay with the cases, and the muggle-sorry-what did you say your name was- oh-Abi wasn't it?"  
  
He muttered something under his breath and was gone, and within moments, Hermione too, had left.  
  
"Sit down." muttered Harry, without looking at her. Abi obeyed, sat down on one of the empty seats. There was an awkward silence then, where Harry sat worldessly staring into his empty mug, and Abi fidgeted uncomfortably.  
  
Eventually, she spoke.  
  
"I really didn't mean to cause all this bother."  
  
Harry looked at her, sardonically and said nothing.  
  
"I was just in the park when I saw you. You were sitting with a pile of empty bottles on your knee looking a bit upset so I thought that-"  
  
"You thought that you had better have a good stare, and then maybe call my Uncle to cart me back to St Brutus' where I belong." He interupted her, angrily.  
  
Abi reddened.  
  
"You know that's not what I thought." she lied.  
  
"Anyway who could blame me for being curious? You can't go making trifles fall on peoples heads and disappearing into thin air without people thinking you're a bit weird!"  
  
Harry looked up then, startled.  
  
"Why...what makes you think I made the trifle fall-I mean-how could I possibly have done it?"  
  
Abi rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'm not a complete fool! I saw how she was making you feel-I don't think you were able to stop youreslf. To be honest, I would have done the same if I'd been able."  
  
"But how..?"  
  
"Harry, what's going on?"  
  
She stared, angrily at the boy in front of her who was silent for some time.  
  
Finally he spoke.  
  
"Well," he said "I'm a wwizard." 


End file.
